Inking device for printing presses



Jilly 3, 1934. ARvEsoN 1,964,711

INKING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Sept. 25, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l John 71 Arfleson July 3, 1934. J V N 1,964,711

INKING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Sept. 25, 1951 3 SheeCs-Shee-t 2 gwuenioz John Arfleson July 3, 1934. J V s N 1,964,711

INKING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Sept. 25, 19 1 s sheets-sh et a 9 I /0111: 1 7. Arflsbn Patented July 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,964,711 INKING DEVICE FOR, PRINTING PRES SES John T. Arveson, St. Paul, Minn.

Application September 25, 1931, Serial No. 565,084

8 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in inking devices for platen printing presses and, particularh to such devices by means of which ink of one color may be applied to one form and ink of another color to another form, all in the same operation.

An object of the invention is to provide an efficient device of the present character which is simple, durable and inexpensive in construction and which may be readily incorporated in presses when they are originally constructed or afterwards, by way of substitution for the original inking mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to supply an inking device, as above, which, through a simple adjustment, will provide a particularly eifective ink distributing medium for one color work.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, which will appear in the following description, th invention resides in the novel combination and arrangement or" parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevational View showing a platen press of the well known Gordon type with an inking device representing an embodiment of my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a face view of said device, a portion of the press mechanism being illustrated in connection therewith; 3 is a sectional view in detail, taken as on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the illustrated form of my device, and Fig. 6 is a view in detail taken edgewise and from the top of said device,

portions of the press mechanism to which the device is attached being illustrated.

The printing press illustrated in the drawings is of the conventional Gordon type, being of the well known construction used in job work in printing establishments. This printing press includes the usual frame 10, bed 11 and platen 12. Side arm frames 13, which oscillate on a back shaft 14 in the bed structure, carry side arms 15 with which inking rollers 16 are connected. These rollers, as is customary, pass up and down over a form or forms in the bed 11, keeping clear of the platen 12 and picking up their supply of ink from an inclined inking disk usually disposed at the top of the bed structure. A yoke-shaped bracket, such as that illustrated at 1.7 (Fig. 6), is mounted on the bed 11 to support the inking disk, such bracket including legs 18 and 19 and a cross member 20 medially of which is provided a bearing 21 for revolubly receiving the usual journaling shaft of the conventional inking disk.

Such conventional inking disks, as is well known, are supplied with a ratchet at the lower side thereof, the same being actuated by means of a pawl, which is moved backward and forward through a bell crank lever pivoted on the bracket 7 17 and swung to and fro, one movement being occasioned by gravity and the reverse movement through the co-action of the bell crank lever and a side arm frame of the press.

In constructing my improved inking device, I have taken into account the construction of the conventional platen press, whereby it is necessary only to dispense with the old form of inking disk and the old form or" a disk rotating pawl and pawl actuating lever.

Particularly describing the illustrated embodiment of my invention, it is to be noted that I supply an inking plate 22, the same being provided with a centrally disposed depending stud 23 (Fig. 3) which is received in the bearing 21 of the yoke-shaped bracket 17. This stud 23 is axially threaded to receive a set bolt 24 which cooperates with a clamping washer 25 to secure the inking plate 32 in selected angular positions. The face of the plate 22 is counter-sunk as at 26 (Fig. 3) to receive four inking disks 2'7, 28, 29 and 30. Each of the said inking disks has a stud 31 journaled in the inking plate 22, said studs projecting through said plate and being fitted at their lower ends with flanges 32 to each of which is secured a toothed annulus constituting a sprocket wheel 33. Encircling said sprocket wheels 33 and meshing therewith, is a sprocket chain 34 which, through said sprocket wheels 33 and flanges 32, connects the four inking disks,

causing them to be turned simultaneously upon the rotation of any one of said disks. The flange 32, secured to the stud 31 of disk 29 is formed with a depending annular lip 35 notched to form teeth and provide a ratchet wheel 36. This ratchet wheel is turned, step by step, with the consequent turning of the four disks 2'7, 28, 29 and 30, by means of a pawl 37 mounted on a bell crank lever 38 pivoted to the leg 18 of the bracket 17 at the same point where the usual pawl actuating lever is mounted. Said pawl 3'7 is pivoted intermediate its ends on the arm 39 of the bell crank lever 38, said pawl being countor-weighted, as at 40, to bring the tooth engaging portion 41 of the pawl into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 36. The free end of arm 42 of the bell crank lever 38 is provided with a roller 43, said roller being disposed so as to be engaged by a cam 44 formed, as usual, on the right roller arm frame 13 of the press. Through the weight of this roller 43 and of the arm 42 upon which it is mounted, the bell crank lever 38 is swung to retract the pawl 37 for fresh engagement with the ratchet wheel 36, the said cam 44, in cooperation with said roller 43, serving in the usual manner to advance the pawl 37 and turn said ratchet wheel 36. To limit the movement of the bell crank lever 42 in retracting the pawl, I provide a stop lug 45 on the lower edge of the arm 42 of the bell crank lever, said stop lug being disposed so as to strike the collar 46 on the back shaft 14 of the press.

The four inking disks are arranged in pairs at opposite sides of the inking plate 22, the disks 27 and 28 constituting one pair and the disks 29 and 30 constituting the second pair. The disks in each pair are aligned in the direction of travel of the inking rollers 16 so that when the inking plate 22 is disposed in its normal angular relation (solid lines, Fig. 2), the inking rollers 16 will carry ink from one disk to the other of the same pair. In said disposition of said plate 22, the ink from a fountain (not shown), mounted on fountain supporting lugs 4'? of the plate, will be kept from passing on the plate and inking rollers from one side to the other of a line centrally of the press. Thus, with an inking fountain containing ink in different colors in opposite compartments therein, the different colors are effectively confined to their respective sides of the inking plate 22 and ends of the rollers 16, the ink at either side being effectively broken up and distributed within defined bounds. In the functioning of the device, as above noted, two forms may be inked simultaneously in different colors with resultant advantages, which include the minimizing of impressions, the saving of time in make-ready, and the saving of time in the cleaning of the press, all of which are readily appreciated by those engaged in the intion of my device, the inking plate 22 may be readily shifted angularly into a position such as that shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, whereupon exceptionally effective ink distribution for one color work is attained, it being readily comprehended that in order to shift and reset the plate angularly, it is only necessary to loosen the set bolt 24 to free the plate 22 for swiveling movement and to thereafter reset said bolt to secure said plate in the newly selected angular position. In thus shifting the plate 22 angularly, the lower disk of one pair is brought partially beneath the upper disk of the other pair. In this relation of the disks, ink is carried by the inking rollers 16, not only from disk to disk at the same side of the plate, but also from one disk on one side to another disk on the other side, the distribution of ink thus effected being of an exceptionally uniform character on plate, disks and rollers,

. resulting in work of high excellence.

It is to be noted that a segmental portion of each of the disks 27, 28, 29 and 30 overreaches the inking plate 22. This feature provides for the easy and thorough cleaning of ink from the device and particularly from the edges of said disks, which otherwise would not be directly accessible.

The plate 22 is of such width as to provide marginal tracks 48 in continuation of tracks 49 of the bed 11, whereby the bearer rolls 50 of the inking rollers 16 will have a supporting surface upon which to travel, as the inking rollers 16 pass over the inking surface provided by the plate 22 and the inking disks therein.

The corresponding disks of the two pairs of inking disks at either side of the plate are closely disposed with respect to each other so that the distribution of ink at either side of the line centrally of the plate will be uniform, and the disks of each pair are desirably closely disposed so that disks of maximum diameter may be employed within the available lengthwise dimension of the plate 22.

In providing for angularly adjusting the plate 22, whereby the results above mentioned may be attained, the studs 31 of the four inking disks are located with the axes thereof substantially equidistant from the axis of the stud 23 of the inking plate 22. This arrangement provides for equal bodily movements of the disks so that the accomplishment of the results desired may be had upon a minimum swiveling throw of the plate 22. In this connection, it is to be noted that the stud 23 and bearing 21 therefor, are of substantial diametrical dimensions, as they should be to accord with proper engineering practice, and it is to be 7 52 beneath the plate 22, is provided to take up initial slack in the chain 34, said roller being removable from said pin to permit of the ready removal of the chain 34 from the sprockets 33.

Changes in the specific form of my invention,

as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An inking device for printing presses for printing in two colors simultaneously and for printing in a single color, said device including an inking plate having revoluble inking disks incorporated therein, there being a plurality of such disks at either side of said plate, said plate and disks providing an ink distributing surface for the inking rollers of a press, means for mounting the inking plate on the press and supporting said plate in position for two colorprinting in which position the inking rollers carry ink from one disk to another only at the same side of the plate, said means providing for the shifting of the plate into an alternate angular position for single color printing in which alternate position of said plate the inking rollers carry ink from one disk at one side of the plate to another disk at the other side of said plate, and means for turning said disks in both of said positions of said plate.

2. An inking device for printing presses for printing in two colors simultaneously and for I printing in a single color, said device including an inking plate having revoluble inking disks incorporated therein, one at one side thereof and one at the other side, said plate and disks providing an ink distributing surface for the inking rollers of a press, means for mounting the inking plate on the press and supporting the same in position for two color printing with the disks disposed at opposite sides of and substantially tangent to a line longitudinally of the plate, said mounting means providing for the shifting of said plate into a position for single color printing in which the disks overlap said line, and means for turning saidinking disks in both of said positions of said plate.

3. An inking device for printing presses including an inking plate, an inking disk inset in the forward portion thereof and a similar disk inset in the rear portion thereof, said plate and inking disks providing an ink distributing surface for the inking rollers of the press, studs issuing from said disks and journaled in the plate, sprockets mounted on said studs beneath the plate, a sprocket chain connecting said sprockets, means for mounting the plate on the press, said means embodying a swiveling connection with said plate occupying position in the space between said sprockets and between the reaches of said chain, said connection providing for the positioning of said plate in relatively different angular relations, one for two color printing with said disks out of line in the direction of movement of said inking rollers and the other for single color printing with portions of said disks in line in said direction, one of said studs having a ratchet thereon adapted to be operated by the press mechanism in both of said relations of said plate.

4. An inking device for printing presses for printing in two colors simultaneously and for printing in a single color, said device including an inking plate, means for supporting said plate whereby the same may be shifted about an axis at right angles to the inking surface thereof from a position forl two color printing into a position for single color printing, inking disks set into the plate and rotatable relative thereto, all of said disks in the position of said plate for two color printing being substantially tangent to a longitudinal line passing through said axis of said plate, there being a pair of said disks at either side of said line, the corresponding disks of the two pairs being disposed at either side of a transverse line passing through said axis, said plate being shiftable on its said supporting means into a position for single color printing with noncorresponding disks of one of said pairs overreaching said longitudinal line, and means for turning said disks in both of said positions of said plate.

5. An inking device for printing presses including an inking plate and inking disks revolubly mounted therein, means for supporting said plate in position on a press for two color printing with the inking disks out of line relative to the direction of travel of the inking rollers, said plate being shiftable into a position for single color printing with portions of said disks in line in the direction of travel of the inking rollers, and means for turning the disks in both of said positions of said plate.

6. An inking device for printing presses including an inking plate, inking disks revolubly incorporated in said plate, said disks, in the position of said plate for two color printing, being relatively offset transversely of the direction of movement of the inking rollers, one of said inking disks being arranged at the forward end of the plate and overreaching said forward end thereof, another of said disks being arranged at the rearward end of the plate and overreaching said rearward end thereof, means for supporting the plate, said plate being shiftable on its said supporting means from said position for two color printing into a position for single color printing with portions of said disks aligned in the direction of movement of said inking rollers, the marginal portions of the plate at the sides thereof providing tracks for the trucks of the inking rollers in both positions of said plate, said overreaching portions of the disks being accessible at the forward and rearward ends respectively of the plate in both positions thereof, and means for turning the disks in both positions of said plate.

7. An inking device for printing presses including an inking plate, inking disks revolubly incorporated in said plate, said disks, in the position of said plate for two color printing, being relatively offset transversely of the direction of movement of the inking rollers, one of said inking disks being arranged at the forward end of the plate and overreaching said forward end thereof, another of said disks being arranged at the rearward end of the plate and overreaching said rearward end thereof, means for supporting the plate, said plate being shiftable on its said supporting means from said position for two color printing into a position for single color printing with portions of said disks aligned in the direction of movement of said inking rollers, said overreaching portions of the disks being accessible at the forward and rearward ends respectively of the plate in both of said positions thereof, and means for turning the disks in both positions of said plate.

8. An inking device for printing presses including an inking plate, inking disks revolubly incorporated in said plate, said disks, in the position of said plate for two color printing, being relatively offset transversely of the direction of movement of the inking rollers, one of said inking disks being arranged at the forward portion of the plate, another of said disks being arranged at the rearward portion of the plate, means for supporting the plate, said plate being shiftable on its said supporting means from position for two color printing into a position for single color printing with portions of said disks aligned in the direction of movement of said inking rollers, the marginal portions of the plate at the sides thereof providing tracks for the trucks of the inking rollers in both positions of said plate, and means for turning the disks in both positions of said plate.

JOHN T. ARVESON. 

